Celebrating!

February is my birthday month, so it has always been a special month for me.  It is shorter than the other eleven months, but it packs a lot within its 28, sometimes 29 days. There are several presidents’ birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Mardi Gras, Groundhog Day, and National Ukelele Day (which happens to be on the same day as Groundhog Day!) along with other celebratory events.  Did you know that February 13 is National Tortellini Day? 

Speaking of tortellini, we have the luxury of living in a great neighborhood with new restaurants, bars, and other entertainment venues nearby.  Conveniently located, TC is a stone’s throw away from downtown Austin or deep South Austin, both which are teeming with lots of fun places to go check out. Here are a few that are close to TC and near and dear to me, that we have had celebrations, family gatherings, football watching, happy hours, or anything to create a reason to be together having a good time with friends and family!

The two closest go-to’s are Serrano’s and Milano’s Café.  Serrano’s is always a good landing spot.  Good food, good drinks, and is easy to get to for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  You can order takeout, or we enjoy Sunday Brunch there too.  And everyone loves those sizzling fajitas!  Milano’s Café has a cozy and friendly atmosphere that can’t be beat.  Serving everything from your basic pepperoni pizza to extravagant lobster ravioli, every member of the family will be pleased.

Lantana has several great places to eat and meet.  I enjoy meeting clients and friends at Marigold Market for coffee and a good breakfast taco. Tancho is the new sushi place I have tried once and absolutely plan to go again.  La Popular has a nice happy hour with a good selection of small plates, especially their taco trio. We recently went to La Traviata over the holidays for a special family dinner and loved everything about it.  The fine Italian food was delicious, the service outstanding and our family enjoyed spending quality time together. Carve is another great place to have celebratory dinners or a nice date night.  And let’s not forget Ling Wu!  A beautiful dining space that has a great atmosphere and chef’s kiss worthy dishes.  Don’t sleep on the duck, it’s one of their specialties.  I’ve enjoyed our dinners there with our foody friends who knew just how to order so that we had a great night of conversation, fellowship, and food!

A little further down the road is the tried-and-true Jack Allen’s Kitchen.  I don’t think I have ever had a meal or drink there I didn’t like.  And just up the road on the corner of William Cannon and 290 is Via 313, with excellent Detroit-style pizza and local draft beer selections to wash down the pizza! In the same complex as Via 313 is a new bar, Oak Hill Lounge, in the former location of The Detour.  The Oak Hill Lounge is our new landing spot for meeting friends and neighbors.  We watched the last few UT games there, and the owner/bartender Rich is in a class all his own.  A solid mixologist and a super friendly host.  As new owners, they have polished up the place, and made it somewhere you look forward to meeting friends and neighbors and passing a good time!

You may be looking for your Valentine's Date night, or meeting friends for a night on the town, luckily, you don’t have to travel too far to find a great spot like those mentioned above! I’d love to hear from you about the places you and your family enjoy in our neck of the woods. Love where you live! Cheers!